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Thursday, August 28, 2014

Tom Ford Nude Dip Eye Shadow Quad For Fall 2014

The hype and mayhem surrounding the release of Nude Dip, the new Tom Ford Eye Color Quad for Fall 2014, did little to endear the brand to me. There were teaser photos months ago that made just about everyone feverish with desire for this palette. I know that I can't help it: a super-luxurious collection in easy-to-wear everyday neutral. It's irresistible. When it's also a limited edition the madness is obvious (remember Bobbi Brown's original Chocolate palette from Fall 2006?) . And then it started to look like the palette was going to sell out during pre-sale and will never even make it online, at least in the US. So I pre-ordered it by phone, which I normally hate to do. And not that it was easy. The counter at Bergdorf dodged phone calls, so I turned to Saks flagship store, but it took playing phone tag and spending a total of 45 minutes on hold before I could place my order. At least they were willing to sell and send me the palette right away. My friend CharlestonGirl from Best Things In Beauty had to throw a hissy fit to receive hers from Neiman Marcus.

I admit that most of my crankiness dissipated when I had this Tom Ford quad in my hands. It really is lovely. I could tell that the texture is special just from looking at it, and the first careful swatching confirmed it.Soft, almost creamy, very rich pigment--- it's gorgeous. The colors are not groundbreaking in any way, but they're so beautiful that there's no question about the amount of usage I'd get from it (from now to eternity, considering the amount of product in each Tom Ford palette).

Outside, full sun

Indoors, artificial light

The finish of the colors in Nude Dip is this modern semi-metallic (except for the darkest brown which is more of a satin with less sheen). There are no shimmer particles in any of the pans, and the shine is elegant and flattering. Personally, I don't use more than two colors with this finish in one look, but I know I'm the minority here. I use each of these colors as the focal point, paired with a muted color (or what I consider muted. A matte navy might not be everyone's cup of tea).

Application of the Nude Dip colors calls for a flat dense brush and requires very little blending (except for the darkest brown. A small soft but firm pencil brush works wonders here for an effortless smoky contour). A MAC 239-type brush is ideal. A softer lay-down brush will give a more sheer finish. What you want to avoid is over-blending that dilutes the pigment and reduces the color to nothing but shimmer. So give the fluffy brushes a rest in this case.

My favorite color from this palette is not surprisingly the taupe one, that's perfect by itself for a one-brush-one-eye-shadow look. The rose gold is gorgeous, and works as a late-summer color (I've been enjoying rosier shades this summer, such as the ones from the stunning YSL palette). The other two are more standard, but again: there's a reason for that. Workhorse eye shadows end up worth their weight in gold, so no complaints here. While I don't believe in must-haves, especially for those of us with large makeup collections that already include a massive number of neutrals, a useful no-brainer palette makes sense, especially if you love this kind of finish.

Ok, went and checked Charleston Girl's and understood. Well, I am contacting everybody throwing a fit about. Let's see if it works for me too. Unfortunately I missed the pre sale. I'm always in the clouds apparently. Thank you for your review Gaia. Thank you Charleston Girl!

Gaia, oh!! I do remember that Bobbi Brown Chocolate palette, circa 2006. I was there. The Vosges chocolate even made a dark-matcha chocolate to pair with the release of the whole BB Chocolate collection. Where is my Chocolate palette now? Beauty trend is such fleeting things, marked by lots of drama and hype and then, soon it too will be replaced with something else with more hype and drama.

I am eternally grateful to you. I live in the Netherlands and ordere this palette and Softcore palette online from Selfridges yesterday, but they refuse to ship the lipstick in Negligee internationally! But hey, I've just ordered it online from Bon Marche (not hindered by any knowledge of the French language whatsoever). Whoopeee!!!

I, of course, fell for the early hype on this one. So I spent 20 minutes on-line with a beauty concierge from Nordstrom who arranged to have a SA from one of their stores that carries this line call me. I received the call, placed my order, gave my personal info and now I'm waiting. But as I see more and more photos of this, I'm beginning to wonder if I'm actually going to like this palette. Wish I could find one in person to swatch. This might just go back, if I ever receive it, that is.

Oh, dear! 45 minutes of Muzak! LOL Fortunately, I had no such problem when I called the Neiman Marcus in San Francisco. The courteous SA happily took my order and it shipped out as soon as it became available. I've had my Nude Dip now for just over a week and thoroughly enjoy it for it's modern finish, rich texture, ease of blending, and long wear. Although I already have similar colors in my stash, I like to keep my look current by exploring new finishes, textures, and nuances in color. Nude Dip definitely provides me with all of that. I love Nude Dip and think it is a delight to own, but I can understand why other people might be shrugging their shoulders and wondering what the big deal is. Chacun à son goût. The world would be a decidedly duller place if we all had the exact same taste.

Like you, Gaia, I have a large moveable lid and browbone area. And, because my eye area has aged well, I can still easily wear shimmer so long as I ground it with something matte. I've been using my TF palette in Cocoa Mirage for that and the two work beautifully together. I've also found that my choice of brush makes a huge difference in the effect which can range from pearl lustre to metallic gleam. Now that I've explored Nude Dip's potential, though, I'll put it aside until the weather cools off a bit. Autumn comes very late here in So Cal.

Also was REALLY turned off by the hype and obvious attempts to make this seem so hard to get that you absolutely had to have it. Almost made me want to boycott the whole collection... almost. That being said, I just saw the Fed Ex truck pull off after dropping mine off! I somehow managed to find and order it from Neiman's during the 12 or so hours it was available before selling out. I sure hope I love it as much as you do! That or I can make a good profit off of it on eBay next month! (Just kidding, I've never actually done that)

Why are there such problems getting hold of this from main-line stores in the US? They looked at me like I was mad when I tried to pre-order this in London after getting freaked out by all these sell out tales from America and sure enough there was oodles of stock when I bought in store today. I'm sure it will sell out but not before all keens have had plenty of chance to buy if they want. It does live up to my expectations. Susan, London

Well, after so much struggling I found it online at the TF website. Ordered it of course. So yeah, it is available there, and Nordstrom is launching it on monday, but they said it will become available during this weekend... If anybody want's to get it. Im glad I didn't had to buy it over the phone, as I loathe that. Loathe talking over the phone. Period.Have a great weekend, ladies.

I still haven't found one :( I am also disappointed in BGs service, not returning calls, not telling me they had a WL., no make-up is worth this and I'm not buying anything at BG TF again. NM or Nordstorms will be getting my business.

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